6 Things That Every Teenager Should Watch

Movies are a big business, mostly because almost everyone can find something to enjoy; be it a horror, a drama, an action flick or sci-fi, everyone has a preference. The official figures also suggest that the majority of cinema goers are teenagers, which is why there is such a large market for teen comedy/drama’s at the moment; the latest of which being The Fault in Our Stars which falls under the latter category. However, the teenage drama is not a new sub-genre brought about by the success of Harry Potter and Twilight, but a tradition that stretches back several decades. When made right, these movies can be funny, heartbreaking and educational...and here is a list of just a few movies that every teenager should make time to watch over the summer.

1) The Breakfast Club – John Hughes had huge success in the 80’s with a string of successful and hilarious teen comedies. Perhaps this was due to the quality of the writing, or the fact that Hughes proved, time and time again, that he had the uncanny ability to portray realistic teenagers on screen. The Breakfast Club was released in 1985 and centres around five teenagers, each representing a different social clique, who meet in a Saturday detention and discover that despite outward differences they all suffer from the same fears and anxieties. This is the central moral of the story, and is still applicable to modern life despite being almost 30 years old. Its upbeat message and catchy theme have become iconic since its release and for good reason; it proves that whatever you are feeling, everyone else is feeling it too.

2) Easy A – The film that shot Emma Stone to stardom in 2010, Easy A is about a girl, Olive, who jokes about having slept with multiple men at her school. Unfortunately, her out-of-touch best friend believes that she is serious and the rumour spreads like wildfire ruining Olive’s perfect reputation and even a marriage. Similar to Mean Girls in its humour and with the same understanding and sensitivity of a John Hughes classic (which it clearly pays homage to), Easy A is one of those movies that you will want to re-watch endlessly and is another example of how the rumour mill can ruin anyone’s life.

3) The Way Way Back – The newest film on this list is The Way Way Back, released in 2013 it was a short lived indie flick that only stayed in cinemas for about a week. It follows shy 14-year-old Duncan on a trip with his mum, her new boyfriend (Steve Carrel) and his daughter. Duncan begins the movie self conscious and shy, hardly talking for the first half of the movie until he begins working at the local water park for Owen whose care free, moronic nature gets Duncan to lighten up and learn to make the best of a difficult situation. His change is clearly visible; he speaks more and even stands up for himself. Duncan’s summer is a modern coming of age story with highs and lows, reminding us that it’s okay to be different.

4) American Pie – The 1999 tale of unlucky Jim Levenstein and its four canon sequels epitomise the hilarious gross out teen comedies of the 90’s. The basic premise is simple, four boys vowing to lose their virginity by the time they graduate high school. However, the road hits a few speed bumps involving a webcam, a coffee laced with laxatives and an apple pie. Despite all the gross out moments and over the top characters, the films still manage to carry a strong message of friendship and brotherhood.

5) Stand By Me – Based on the novel by Stephen King, Stand By Me recounts the tale of four friends childhood adventure to find a dead body, rumoured to be somewhere in the woods outside town. Perhaps one of the most iconic coming of age stories, dealing with a child’s first encounter with death, the joy of a childhood adventure with good friends and making lifelong memories, Stand By Me is worth a watch today not as a classic teen movie, but as a classic movie in its own right.

6) Buffy the Vampire Slayer – I may be cheating here slightly. Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a 1992 film, written by Joss Whedon (Avengers Assemble). However, this cult movie was followed up several years later by the much more memorable TV show of the same name and the same premise, only with a brand new cast. It follows the adventures of Buffy Summers, the slayer, a chosen one who must fight the forces of hell to protect humanity. Despite its touch and go first season, the show continued on to be probably the greatest teen show of all time and chronicled Buffy’s growth as well as other lovable and hilarious characters. However, the best thing about Buffy is how it tackles such huge life issues, e.g. the death of a loved one, in such a realistic fashion as well as the fact that, at least for the first few series, every monster represents one of the demons teenagers have to face e.g. loneliness or peer pressure. This show has a metaphor for everything.

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